Benayoun the kid for Hammers
Friday 22 July 2005
e-mail
Print
Digg
Save
Photos/Wallpapers »
By Ofer Ronen-Abels
Yossi Benayoun has vowed to set the Premiership alight after signing for West Ham United FC.
Israeli talent
Nicknamed 'The Kid' in his native Israel, mainly for his boyish looks, but also due to the fact that he made his senior debut aged 17, is one of the biggest talents to emerge out of the country. Two months after turning 25, Benayoun, who was born in the small central town of Dimona, completed a dream move from Real Racing Club Santander to England.
Berkovic’s footsteps
Twenty-one goals in 101 Primera División appearances attracted attention from several clubs in Spain and Russia as well as England. But newly-promoted West Ham is his new home, allowing Benayoun to follow in the footsteps of vaunted compatriot Eyal Berkovic.
'Utterly happy'
"I am utterly happy with this decision - I felt it was the right thing to do," Benayoun said. "From the first moment I loved the attitude of the people at West Ham, who showed me they really wanted me. I feel I can contribute a lot to this team, and can't wait for the season to start."
Agile forward
From the age of nine, when his exceptional talent was spotted by a Hapoel Beer-Sheva FC scout, the slender 'kid' and his father used to hitch-hike the 60km round trip to games as no public transport was available on Saturdays. The agile forward began making a name for himself and AFC Ajax invited him to their academy. However, homesickness cut short his stay in Amsterdam.
National service
Benayoun's next break came in the 1996 UEFA European Under-16 Championship, as Israel came third, their best finish in any continental finals. Foreign clubs were again interested, but three years of national service were to keep him in Israel until he turned 21.
Bittersweet season
At 17 he made his senior club debut, and in his first season scored 15 goals, including a final-day winner against Maccabi Haifa FC which he thought had saved Beer-Sheva from relegation. But as Benayoun ran to the stands he learned Bnei-Yehuda Tel-Aviv FC had also claimed a last-gasp victory and collapsed in tears.
Haifa success
He moved on to Maccabi Haifa, and blossomed under Czech coach Dusan Uhrin, helping them to the 1998/99 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup quarter-finals. He received a full international call-up, becoming the first player ever to appear at youth, U21 and senior level for Israel, and struck four goals in his first two games.
Spanish move
Then in 2000/01, he helped his club, now coached by Avraham Grant, to their first title in seven years, and another the next season. Out of contract, his long-expected foreign move came with Racing. After six goals in his first season, he had a great second campaign, a key man in their successful fight against relegation.
World Cup success
Grant's apppointment as national coach in 2002 also helped Benayoun, and he is the central figure in what appears Israel's best FIFA World Cup campaign since 1970. Striking in a 2-1 win against Cyprus and scoring two more for a 2-2 draw with Switzerland, his reputation was growing, and Berkovic persuaded him to join West Ham.
Everyone who heard that I was coming to West Ham immediately mentioned Eyal to me
Yossi Benayoun
'Massive compliment'
Benayoun said: "Everyone who heard that I was coming to West Ham immediately mentioned Eyal to me, they still love him and regard him as a great player. But comparison to Eyal is a massive compliment to me - I need to work on many things to reach Eyal's level. That is why he was one of the first people I spoke to before my decision and he sang their praises."
©uefa.com 1998-2008. All rights reserved.
